Statewide meetings set on science standards

Kevin Richert04/08/2016

When legislators killed a rewrite of science standards earlier this year, they suggested Idahoans were shut out of the process.

This month, the State Department of Education will hold six public meetings to discuss the academic standards. It’s the first step, before the department tries to convince the 2017 Legislature to update school standards.

The state hopes to update standards in eight subjects, from English language arts to math to physical education — something the state does, subject by subject, on a six-year rotating basis. But the House and Senate education committees got hung up this year on the science standards, taking the unusual step of rejecting an agency rule that would have updated these standards.

At these meetings, the State Department of Education will also take public comments on a variety of other rules — addressing topics from school bullying to advanced academic opportunities. Click here for the full list, and links to the proposed rules.

The state’s leaders want more of Idaho’s high school graduates to earn a college degree or finish job training. But the numbers aren’t moving. This week, Idaho Education News digs into the issue, and looks for solutions.